Competition Etiquette: Crap Beer

I have a sort of funny dilemma.

I just recently dropped off three entries to a local competition that will occur on January 29th.

Entries 1 & 2 are the same beer, entered into two different sub-categories of porter. The beer is nearly flawless at this point, so I'm hoping to find out which category it better fits just for Snits and Giggles.

I tasted Entry #3 for the third time tonight (and dumped it out again). It's a berliner weisse that is WAY too sour and after over a month in the bottles has barely even started to carbonate. I expect that the two bottles I dropped off are no different than the remaining too many that I have at home. This beer will be perfect for blending, and maybe even with more time will be drinkable on its own, but certainly not before January 29th.

Being that I can fairly easily go to the LHBS, snatch up this entry and save the judges a lot of mouth-puckering pain: what would you do? Should I leave it in as payback for the occasionally ridiculous feedback that we've all gotten, or should I go get it?

I'd test the expert judges' ratings and see what they score. Make a game of it and see if you can guess the actual words they'll use to describe the beer. Then guess the numbers on how they score it.

If you're +/- 2 points, you win.

Wow, good suggestion. I'm going to print out a blank scoresheet and do this one the day of the competition. If I do it that day, I should have the same level of carbonation as them.

Soon to become "That Guy" to all the judges...

I entered a Strawberry Honey Wheat into a competition that I knew was going to score poorly. It was great when it was young, but this was the end of a keg that was +/- 6 months old.

The beer tasted great, but ended up being almost white.
I was thinking when I added the 8 lbs of strawberries that I may be able to get a pink color. No such luck! Next time I'll add some pectic enzime.

The beer scored 28 or 29 and the best comment was that it looked like turbid grapefruit juice!

I laughed and agreed with the feedback.

Bull

Nothing wrong in wanting feedback.

Homercidal said:

Soon to become "That Guy" to all the judges...

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Hahahaha...so true. But still, I like the +/- 2pt score game. Any feedback is good feedback.

Leave it in and accept your Best of Show gracefully.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Leave it in and accept your Best of Show gracefully.

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I wish.

Maybe my porter, but definitely not this killer. I'm just hoping no charges come out of this.

Homercidal said:

Soon to become "That Guy" to all the judges...

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I always end up judging at least one beer from "that guy".

FSR402 said:

I always end up judging at least one beer from "that guy".

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Just in case; I apologize.

Keep them judges on their toes!

GarageDweller said:

Keep them judges on their toes!

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I had a few last April that kept me by a trash can.

Oh and Homer, not sure if I ever judged any of yours.

^ So what do you recommend I do?

And a further question: are berliner weisses typically judged "neat", ie without shcuss?

Airborneguy said:

^ So what do you recommend I do?

And a further question: are berliner weisses typically judged "neat", ie without shcuss?

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I have no idea what you mean by this....

I'm waiting until I get another really decent batch. My timing always seems off for the good comps.

I'd like to help with the judging some time if it ever happen close to home. I think Adam might be willing to host a comp after the new brewpub gets going in BR.

I know I sent a lousy wit into the first annual HBT competition. I need to brew more and have more good stuff on hand. It's hard to be consistent when you sometimes CFC and sometime no-chill, sometimes use Irish moss, sometimes forget, playing with water etc. Brewing more will help me dial in some things.

I tried that send it in just to see what what was wrong, and I recommend it for anyone who doesn't have experience with tasting. It can help you improve your beers, but only if the judge has enough experience tasting AND brewing to know what to tell you.

FSR402 said:

I have no idea what you mean by this....

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huh?

Did you read the rest of the thread?

I hope you aren't referring to the part about how the judges drink berliner.

Airborneguy said:

huh?

Did you read the rest of the thread?

I hope you aren't referring to the part about how the judges drink berliner.

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I suspect the answer is "Yes, we judge them without syrup."

But, it could also be "Yes, I always take off my shoes at the judging table."

Its always good to get feedback- even if its not exactly correct. I don't judge, so I have no room to complain. But I will tell a story from last years brewers cup ( Indiana). I took a porter to LHBS and asked for ideas on catagory. The owner, who I dearly respect and has been a judge for years, said it needed to go into robust porter catagory. Two weeks later she happened to actually judge my beer! Her comment- " nice beer, but entered into wrong catagory".....;-)....this years ( only) entry is a replica of George Washingtons original ale recipe- done to his recipe and technique- its just this side of horrible. All my homebrewing friends joke that it willtake Best of Show.....

GilaMinumBeer said:

I suspect the answer is "Yes, we judge them without syrup."

But, it could also be "Yes, I always take off my shoes at the judging table."

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Airborneguy said:

huh?

Did you read the rest of the thread?

I hope you aren't referring to the part about how the judges drink berliner.

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"are berliner weisses typically judged "neat", ie without shcuss?"
This is what I'm confused about. Maybe I'm just to tired and hungover but I am drawing a blank on what you mean by this.

By Schuss, do you mean flavored syrups?

Berliner Weiße mit Schuss
Bierspezialität mit Himbeer- oder Waldmeistersirup.

Pilgarlic said:

Berliner Weiße mit Schuss
Bierspezialität mit Himbeer- oder Waldmeistersirup.

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Ah. I see.

Pilgarlic said:

Berliner Weiße mit Schuss
Bierspezialität mit Himbeer- oder Waldmeistersirup.

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Farfegnuggin!

FSR402 said:

I had a few last April that kept me by a trash can.

.....

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Oh man! I would love to have read that score sheet

Down at Leon's I got a whiff out of a bottle that almost made me barf immediately. Someone drank it. I think he held down a single swallow!

Who was that?? Eric??

Yes, mit schuss, the syrup that Berliner Weisse is typically served with. I'm guessing that they don't use it in competitions. Which is what I'm afraid of...

Yeah, I doubt it. There are a few different ones. I think Woodruff was the popular one that I recall off the top of my head. I've never had one, and frankly, I think the chances of a judge from the states tasting yours correctly might be pretty low. They'd be going by style description only, without tasting experience.

Homercidal said:

Down at Leon's I got a whiff out of a bottle that almost made me barf immediately. Someone drank it. I think he held down a single swallow!

Who was that?? Eric??

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Yes it was Eric's rubber beer (melting hot side transfer hose) and It was me that tried it. It took two pints of my Red Dragon IPA to get the taste out of my mouth.

Airborneguy said:

Yes, mit schuss, the syrup that Berliner Weisse is typically served with. I'm guessing that they don't use it in competitions. Which is what I'm afraid of...

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You would be correct on that. We can not add anything to the beer. If you had bottled it with the syrup then that's different. We are judging the beer solely as it sits.
The BJCP guidelines do mention the use of the syrups but they are not part of the tasting and in fact if you had added it to the beer at bottling I would knock you down for it.

tinman1 said:

....this years ( only) entry is a replica of George Washingtons original ale recipe- done to his recipe and technique- its just this side of horrible. All my homebrewing friends joke that it willtake Best of Show.....

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I know this post is over a year old, but Timnan I'm interested to know what happened when you submitted the George Washington beer. I recently brewed it myself (thankfully only a gallon), and you are right that it's absolutely foul. Bran and molasses beer. Ugh. anyway, I was actually curious what would happen if you submitted it for judging - I assume Category 23?